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Friday, November 30, 2012

Investigation Launched after Classified Info on Benghazi Attack Was Given to Daily Beast Reporter (Video)

Investigation Launched after Classified Info on Benghazi Attack Was Given to Daily Beast Reporter (Video)

Leak Inquiry Launched After Daily Beast Reporter Was Given Classified Info on Benghazi Attack–
A leak inquiry has been launched after Daily Beast reporter Leslie Gelb was given classified information on the Benghazi attack.
Catherine Herridge at FOX News reported:
On Monday Rep. Peter King (R-NY) called on President Obama to identify the White House staff members who may have unlawfully disclosed intelligence on the Benghazi attack to journalist Leslie Gelb.
Today, Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, called on President Obama to identify White House staff members who may have unlawfully disclosed intelligence on the Benghazi attack to journalist Leslie Gelb. Last month Dr. Gelb claimed to have received a White House intelligence briefing on the attack.
But today Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus denied that Dr. Gelb received any such briefing from their agencies, and announced a preliminary inquiry into this possibly criminal disclosure of classified information.
In response to today’s letter, Chairman King said: “I welcome Directors Clapper and Petraeus’ initiation of an inquiry into yet another Obama Administration leak of sensitive national security information to the media. If the Intelligence Community did not brief Leslie Gelb on classified information about the Benghazi attack, then who did? I call upon the White House to immediately identify any staff members who may have met with Dr. Gelb since September 11, 2012.”
On October 8th, Dr. Gelb wrote in The Daily Beast that he received a White House intelligence briefing on the September 11, 2012 attack on the United States Consulate in Benghazi. Dr. Gelb stated he received the same intelligence briefing on the subject as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, which was itself derived from the President’s Daily Brief. Dr. Gelb claimed that the initial “daily intel reports” reviewed by himself, Ambassador Rice and President Obama confirmed “that the Benghazi mob formed more or less on its own, mainly in reaction to the American video cartooning sacred Muslim figures.”

Unmanned Systems Roadmap, 2007-2032

Unmanned Systems Roadmap, 2007-2032
Unmanned Systems Roadmap, 2007-2032 (PDF; 12 MB)
Source: Office of the Secretary of Defense
Today's military has seen an evolution in technology that is creating an entirely new capability to project power through the use of unmanned systems while reducing the risk to human life. The contributions of unmanned systems continue to increase. As of October 2006, coalition Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), exclusive of hand-launched systems, had flown almost 400,000 flight hours in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) had responded to over 11,000 Improvised Explosive Device (IED) situations, and Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMSs) had provided security to ports. As a result of these successes, the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) emphasized the importance of unmanned systems in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).
Unmanned systems are highly desired by combatant commanders (COCOMs) for the many roles these systems can fulfill. Tasks such as mine detection; signals intelligence; precision target designation; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive (CBRNE) reconnaissance; and communications and data relay rank high among the COCOMs' interests. These unmanned capabilities have helped reduce the complexity and time lag in the "sensor" component of the sensor-to-shooter chain for prosecuting "actionable intelligence." Unmanned systems are changing the conduct of military operations in the GWOT by providing unrelenting pursuit combined with the elimination of threats to friendly forces; including injury, capture, or death.
As the Department of Defense (DoD) develops and employs an increasingly sophisticated force of unmanned systems over the next 25 years (2007 to 2032), technologists, acquisition officials, and operational planners require a clear, coordinated plan for the evolution and transition of unmanned systems technology. With the publication of this document, individual roadmaps and master plans for UASs, UGVs, and UMSs (defined as Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs) and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs)) have been incorporated into a comprehensive DoD Unmanned Systems Roadmap. This integrated Unmanned Systems Roadmap is the plan for future prioritization and funding of these systems development and technology, thus ensuring an effective return on the Department's investment. Its overarching goal, in accordance with the Strategic Planning Guidance (SPG), is to guide military departments and defense agencies toward logically and systematically migrating applicable mission capabilities to this new class of military tools. This Roadmap highlights the most urgent mission needs that are supported both technologically and operationally by various unmanned systems. These needs, listed below, should be considered when prioritizing future research, development, and procurement of unmanned systems technology to ensure an effective return on the Department's investment.

How The Tea Party Was Hijacked by the Koch Brothers

How The Tea Party Was Hijacked by the Koch Brothers


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How The Tea Party Was Hijacked by the Koch Brothers
The Tea Party had an opportunity to be a voice for the masses. Unfortunately, they were usurped by the robber barons of the 21st Century -- the Koch brothers -- and have been repurposed to fight in favor of corporate fascism and against democracy. All that is needed to prove out this statement is a look at the movement's platform as listed on the web:
1. Healthcare: No one will argue that our healthcare system is in shambles. America has the highest healthcare expenditure, and gets the 37th best care as a result. We’re also the only industrialized nation that doesn’t guarantee health care for its citizens. When we try to fix something, it makes sense to look around and see what’s working elsewhere, analyze why it’s working, and build on that success. The Tea Party doesn’t seem to support that concept. Instead, their platform doubles down on the same system that got us where we are now. They decry the concept of “socialized medicine,” and instead ask that insurance companies be further unbridled and encouraged to cross state lines to “allow competition” to drive prices down. Unfortunately, that isn’t what will happen.
First, socialized medicine is nothing more than a large group of people sharing the medical costs for the entire group. This keeps anyone from being financially destroyed by medical costs, because your neighbors will help you with it. Oddly enough, that’s exactly how insurance works. All of the subscribers pay in to the insurance company, which then pays the medical bills as they occur. No one gets financially destroyed by medical costs because the rest of the subscribers help with them. But there’s a difference. Insurance is created to make a profit. As a result, it’s in the insurance company’s best interest to run medical prices up. This makes sure that it’s difficult to get care without insurance and that they can charge higher premiums for their policies. This mechanism has been driving up medical prices for decades. If you truly want a free market in medicine, there can be no insurance. Insurance companies, and no one else will benefit from the Tea Party platform. Corporations win. People lose.
2.  Right to Life: This attack on women’s health is strictly an attempt to foist religious beliefs on people who don’t necessarily share those beliefs. The separation of church and state is clearly defined by constitutional authority. The Tea Party claims to be in favor of making government conform to the constitution – as long as it doesn’t upset their delicate sensibilities or contradict their mistaken interpretation of the document. There is an organization in the federal government whose sole purpose is the interpretation of the Constitution. Its called the Supreme Court, and they’ve already made that decision.
Personally, I see organized religion as nothing more than an easy way to make a living for people who think they know better than the rest of us. They also seem to be power centers controlling how people think and act, and even though they have been given “not for profit” status, they seem to have sufficient funds to buy land and build buildings at their pleasure. In my opinion, just like corporations, they’re all about the Benjamin’s, and the Tea Party supports them over people who would like to make their own decisions. This is not freedom.
3. The First Amendment: Similar to No. 2, this is another step toward theocracy in the U.S. All that’s needed is a rewrite of the First Amendment, or an interpretation that agrees with their desire to live in an apparently Baptist theocracy. The list goes on. I invite everyone to read it.
A concept that I’ve seen mentioned here on PolicyMic by the right again and again is the “Law of Unintended Consequences.” As I read through the platform statements of the Tea Party I was able to see many unintended consequences, some of which I’ve put forth here. There are more, but the limitations of PolicyMic articles would require multiple articles to keep saying the same things. Read through the platforms with the consequences in mind and if you actually have an open mind you’ll wind up as terrified as I am of these ideas.
But the real evil in the Tea Party is their actions after the 2012 Election. America is in trouble, but instead of trying to find solutions that would be palatable to all parties, they have chosen to make sure that nothing is done. This has driven the Democrats to a partisanship that is just as rabid.
To use an illustration, this would be the equivalent of having a fire in our backyard. The Democrats, seeing the fire tried to call the fire department, but the Tea Party said it would be too expensive and ripped out the phone cord. So the Democrats tried to turn on the garden hose, but the Tea Party shut off all the water to the house and said, “It’ll burn itself out if you just leave it alone.”
They’re right; the fire in the backyard will eventually burn itself out. All fires do in time. The question is whether we or anyone else in the neighborhood will have a house after it does.

Disarming America

State Department advisory board urges deeper nuclear force cuts including unilateral reductions
State Department logo
BY:

A State Department board of experts is calling for steep cuts in U.S. nuclear forces beyond the New START treaty limits and recommends unilateral or informal reductions to avoid expected Senate ratification battles.
“Treaties are an important but not always necessary method for reducing nuclear arsenals,” the new report by the International Security Advisory Board says. “The United States has reduced its nuclear arsenal without negotiating a new treaty in the past—both unilaterally and reciprocally with Russia.”
A similar cut in nuclear forces could be considered again “as the United States reduces the role and number of nuclear weapons in its national security strategy,” the report says.
Disclosure of the State Department report comes as President Barack Obama, who has advocated eliminating all U.S. nuclear weapons, is close to approving a formal strategy that calls for deep cuts in nuclear forces beyond the 1,550 warheads mandated under the 2010 New START accord.
According to an arms control official, Obama earlier this month was ready to sign a new blueprint for the deep nuclear cuts as part of the Nuclear Posture Review Implementation Study that has been ready for his signature for months but has been delayed until after the election. Officials familiar with that study say a draft included a recommendation to cut U.S. warhead levels to as low as 700 warheads.
The International Security Advisory Board (ISAB) report, signed by its chairman, former Defense Secretary William J. Perry, also recommends speeding up reductions or amending the New START treaty to include cuts in both tactical and strategic warheads.
The report also suggests that further nuclear cuts can be made through “parallel” U.S. and Russian reductions or even cuts by the United States alone.
“The question is of expediency versus certainty,” the report said. “Unilateral and coordinated reductions can be quicker and less politically costly, relative to treaty with adversarial negotiations and difficult ratification processes.”
However, the report stated that without a legally binding treaty informal agreements would lack the ability to verify the reductions through inspections. Also, without a formal treaty limit, all cuts can be reversed. “Either side could decide to redeploy or increase the deployments of weapons previously reduced,” the report said.
The report recommends three “modest initiatives” for the administration. They include moving up U.S. New START nuclear cuts from 2018 to 2015 and to remove from operational status all strategic warheads slated for reduction.
A second proposal calls for Washington and Moscow to “lay the groundwork” for cuts in tactical nuclear weapons as a way of “expediting the process for a future treaty.”
Third, the board report calls for “mutual” nuclear reductions below New START levels and including non-strategic weapons.
“The United States could communicate to Russia that the United States is prepared to go to lower levels of nuclear weapons as a matter of national policy, consistent with the strategy developed in the Nuclear Posture Review, if Russia is willing to reciprocate,” the report said.
“This could improve stability by reducing Russia’s incentive to deploy a new heavy ICBM.”
The report said the prospect for significant nuclear cuts beyond the three suggested areas is “small.”
“Arms control fatigue, electoral politics and the thorny issue of missile defense have all converged in 2012, creating poor conditions for trust and dialogue,” the report said.
Russia is demanding that the United States agree to legally binding limits to missile defense deployments in Europe. The United States insists its joint NATO missile defenses are part of efforts to counter Iranian missile threats. Russia regards the defenses as a threat to its offensive strategic missiles.
The administration so far has rejected the missile defense limits. However, Obama was overheard telling then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in March that after his reelection he would have “more flexibility” in missile defense talks, comments widely interpreted by critics as a sign he will offer Russia limits on missile defenses as part of new arms reductions talks.
The Free Beacon obtained a copy of the unclassified 22-page report, dated Nov. 27. It is based on the work of a blue-ribbon commission of 24 experts including former policymakers and three retired generals.
Arms control experts on a study group directly involved in producing the new ISAB report include Joseph Cirincione, president of the anti-nuclear activist group Ploughshares Fund and Harvard political scientist Graham Allison, a defense policymaker during the administration of President Bill Clinton.
“One option is to amend the New START treaty to a lower ceiling,” the report says. “Another is to negotiate a new treaty on nonstrategic and non-deployed weapons or a new treaty aggregating all warheads. The amendment or new treaty would require Senate and [Russian] Duma approval.”
Russia currently has several thousand non-strategic nuclear warheads while the United States has several hundred. The U.S. tactical warheads are needed for so-called “extended deterrence in Europe and Asia that have prevented allies from developing their own nuclear forces.”
Critics have said cutting U.S. tactical nuclear weapons could lead other nations to build their own arsenals.
The report also states that cutting U.S. and Russian nuclear forces below the New START levels would allow both states to avoid “costly or destabilizing modernization efforts.”
That comment is likely to upset Senate Republicans who agreed to ratify the New START nuclear cuts in December 2010 only after the president agreed to commit to an urgently-needed nuclear modernization programs, including warhead life extension and new infrastructure projects costing $85 billion over 10 years.
The report also reveals that the New START treaty requires only the United States to cut its forces because it states that Moscow’s strategic arsenal will fall below START levels of 700 deployed strategic delivery vehicle and 1,550 operationally deployed warheads as Moscow’s nuclear forces reach the end of the life cycles.
As a result, Russia is considering building a new, heavy, multiple-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile as part of its current nuclear modernization program, the report says.
By contrast, U.S. nuclear forces will slowly be cut to treaty limits by downloading warheads from land-based ICBMs and submarines and reducing launchers while modernizing strategic forces.
A senior Senate arms control specialist criticized the report. “How can it be that only two years after this administration said 1,550 warheads on 700 deployed delivery vehicles is, a, not something we had to reach until 2018 and, b, good until 2021 [when New START expires], that now we have to go lower, and on our own, with or without Russia?” the specialist asked.
“The answer is that it has always been easier for the disarmers to reduce American power than to get agreement with the Senate ever to do it,” the specialist said. “We now see this, plainly and in their own words. And we are going to fight it.”
The specialist said acting State Department undersecretary of international security Rose Gottemoeller will be asked to explain the disagreement in the future when she is expected to seek Senate support.
“Elections may have consequences, but this arrogant report speaks volumes about the empty, preemptive capitulation that has become the Obama record,” the specialist said.
“The Obama administration is hell bent to denuclearize the world starting with our arsenal,” said Frank Gaffney, head of the Center for Security Policy. “The group they convened to provide political cover for doing so completely embraces this truly irresponsible and actually reckless policy approach.”
State Department spokesman Jamie Mannina said the ISAB “provides its recommendations to the Secretary of State.”
“They do not set policy,” he added.

Obama family 'costs taxpayers $1.4BILLION per year' (that's 20 times more expensive than British Royal Family)

Obama family 'costs taxpayers $1.4BILLION per year' (that's 20 times more expensive than British Royal Family)

By Daily Mail Reporter
|
Politicians looking for savings to deal with the national debt crisis should perhaps start by abolishing the President.
Barack Obama and his family cost the taxpayer $1.4billion per year, according to a recently published book.
By contrast, the British Royal Family costs less than $60million each year.
Pricey: Taking care of Barack Obama and his family costs the public over $1billion per year, according to a book on the cost of the presidency
Pricey: Taking care of Barack Obama and his family costs the public over $1billion per year, according to a book on the cost of the presidency
Two of the principal costs of the the Obama presidency - and any other presidency - are staffing and security, according to Robert Keith Gray's book Presidential Perks Gone Royal.
When it comes to keeping the First Family safe, few would dispute that it is worth paying a high price to keep the President safe from harm.
 
This means paying for hundreds of Secret Service agents, travel in the secure space of Air Force and funding a team of doctors to follow Mr Obama around.
But even this essential expense can be exploited to political ends, according to Mr Gray, a former staffer for Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Air Force One: The presidential jet is one massive White House expense
Air Force One: The presidential jet is one massive White House expense
When the President travels around the country on campaign, he is obliged to take Air Force One.
His party reimburses the taxpayer with the cost of a first-class air ticket per passenger - but this is far from the full cost to taxpayers.
It also provides a President running for re-election with a national transport network which is unavailable to his challenger.
Moreover, much of the money spent on Mr Obama's family goes to perks such as entertainment and household expenses.
For example, the White House contains a movie theatre which is manned by projectionists 24 hours a day in case one of the family feels like a trip to the cinema.
And even the Obamas' dog Bo costs the taxpayer thousands of dollars - his handler is reportedly paid over $100,000 a year.
Another huge presidential outgoing, according to Mr Gray, comes in the form of staff members who can be appointed by the commander-in-chief at his own personal discretion.
226 members of Mr Obama's staff are apparently paid over $100,000 - and the President can increase their salaries at any time.

H.R. 5326: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 112th Congress, 2011–2012 Making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Frank Wolf [R-VA10] Status: Passed House Bill titles and the summary above are written by the sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill. Track this bill Take a Position (About Ads | Advertise Here) Bill Overview Status: Introduced May 02, 2012 Reported by Committee May 02, 2012 Passed House May 10, 2012 Passed Senate (not yet occurred) Signed by the President (not yet occurred) This bill passed in the House on May 10, 2012 and goes to the Senate next for consideration. Votes: House: On Passage of the Bill May 10, 2012 2:51 p.m. Passed 247/163 Show 41 additional votes... Prognosis: Just 29% of all House of Representatives bills reported favorably by committee in 2009–2010 were enacted. Text: Read Bill Text Cosponsors: none Committees: House Committee on Appropriations The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage. Primary Source THOMAS (The Library of Congress) THOMAS is updated generally one day after events occur and events since the last update may not be reflected here. Citation This page can be cited in one of these formats (click for details): APA, MLA, Wikipedia Template. Related Bills: S. 2323: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 rule: H.Res. 643: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5326) making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes; waiving a requirement o Related bills above are identified by the Congressional Research Service. Search for similar bills. Subject Areas: Use these subject areas to explore related legislation: Economics and Public Finance Abortion Accounting and auditing Administrative law and regulatory procedures Appropriations Asia Aviation and airports Business ethics Canada Caribbean area Census and government statistics China Commission on Civil Rights Competition and antitrust Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits Computers and information technology Congressional oversight Correctional facilities and imprisonment Crime prevention Crime victims Crimes against children Crimes against women Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation Criminal justice information and records Cuba Department of Commerce Department of Justice Detention of persons Disability and paralysis Domestic violence and child abuse Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Drug trafficking and controlled substances Employment discrimination and employee rights Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Evidence and witnesses Executive agency funding and structure Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Federal Prison Industries, Inc. Firearms and explosives Fishes Fraud offenses and financial crimes Government buildings, facilities, and property Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Government ethics and transparency, public corruption Government information and archives Government liability Human rights Human trafficking Intellectual property Judicial procedure and administration Juvenile crime and gang violence Latin America Law enforcement administration and funding Law enforcement officers Lawyers and legal services Legal Services Corporation Lighting and heating Marine Mammal Commission Marine and coastal resources, fisheries Minority and disadvantaged businesses National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Science Foundation Office of Science and Technology Policy Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Pornography Public contracts and procurement Religion Research administration and funding Research and development Sex offenses Space flight and exploration Tax administration and collection, taxpayers Terrorism Trade restrictions Transportation costs Travel and tourism Official Summary This summary was written by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress. GovTrack did not write and has no control over these summaries. 5/10/2012--Passed House amended. Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for FY2013 for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, for science-related programs, and related agencies. Title I - Department of Commerce Department of Commerce Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Commerce for FY2013 for: (1) the International Trade Administration; (2) the Bureau of Industry and Security; (3) the Economic Development Administration; (4) the Minority Business Development Agency; (5) economic and statistical analysis programs; (6) the Bureau of the Census; (7) the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; (8) the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); (9) the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); (10) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and (11) departmental management, including for the Office of Inspector General. Section 105 - Adopts by reference provisions of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 that: (1) set forth determinations that must be made by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere in order for NOAA to enter a contract for development of a major program (an activity approved to proceed to implementation that has an estimated life cycle cost of more than $250 million), and (2) require the Under Secretary to annually submit a Major Program Annual Report that includes such required information for the satellite development program for which NOAA proposes to expend funds in the subsequent year. Section 109 - Directs the Department of Commerce to provide a monthly report to the Appropriations Committees on any official travel to China by any employee of the Department. Title II - Department of Justice Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) for FY2013 for: (1) general administration, including for the Office of Inspector General; (2) the United States Parole Commission; (3) legal activities, including for reimbursement from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund for processing cases under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, the Offices of the United States Attorneys, the United States Trustee Program, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, the Community Relations Service, and the Assets Forfeiture Fund; (4) the United States Marshals Service; (5) the National Security Division; (6) interagency crime and drug enforcement; (7) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); (8) the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); (9) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); (10) the federal prison system, including for Federal Prison Industries, Incorporated; (11) the Office on Violence Against Women for violence against women prevention and prosecution programs, including for establishment of a national clearinghouse to provide training and technical assistance on issues relating to sexual assault of American Indian and Alaska Native women; (12) Office of Justice programs, including the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, a veterans treatment courts program, the Capital Litigation Improvement Grant Program, the National Criminal History Improvement Program, and a program to monitor prescription drugs and scheduled listed chemical products; and (13) Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS program). Section 202 - Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) pay for an abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or in the case of rape; or (2) require any person to perform or facilitate an abortion. Section 217 - Prohibits the use of funds by a federal law enforcement officer to facilitate the transfer of an operable firearm to an individual known or suspected to be an agent of a drug cartel, unless U.S. law enforcement personnel continuously monitor or control the firearm at all times. Section 219 - Prohibits the use of funds to require a person licensed to engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms or importing or manufacturing ammunition to report information to DOJ regarding the sale of multiple rifles or shotguns to the same person. Title III - Science Makes appropriations for FY2013 for: (1) the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP); (2) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA; and (3) the National Science Foundation (NSF), including for the Office of the National Science Board. Title IV - Related Agencies Makes appropriations for FY2013 for: (1) the Commission on Civil Rights, (2) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), (3) the International Trade Commission, (4) the Legal Services Corporation, (5) the Marine Mammal Commission, (6) the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and (7) the State Justice Institute. Title V - General Provisions Section 501 - Sets forth requirements, restrictions, and limitations on the use of funds appropriated by this Act. Section 506 - Makes any person who mislabels a product sold in or shipped to the United States as "Made in America" ineligible to receive any contract or subcontract funded by this Act. Section 509 - Prohibits the use of funds to promote the sale or export of tobacco or tobacco products or to seek the removal by any foreign country of restrictions on marketing of such products, except for restrictions which are not applied equally to all tobacco products of the same type. Section 517 - Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) support or justify the use of torture by any official or contract employee of the U.S. government, or (2) authorize or issue a national security letter in contravention of specified statutes authorizing the FBI to issue national security letters. Section 526 - Rescinds specified amounts of unobligated balances available to DOJ for specified accounts. Section 529 - Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) transfer or release to or within the United States Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who is not a U.S. citizen or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and who is or was held on or after June 24, 2009, at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by the Department of Defense (DOD); or (2) construct, acquire, or modify any facility in the United States, its territories, or possessions to detain or imprison such a detainee. Section 531 - Prohibits the distribution of funds to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or its subsidiaries. Section 534 - Prohibits the use of funds for NASA or OSTP to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a bilateral policy, program, order or contract to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally with China or any Chinese-owned company unless such activities are specifically authorized by a law enacted after this Act's enactment. Specifies that such limitations shall not apply to activities which NASA or OSTP has certified: (1) pose no risk of resulting in the transfer of technology, data, or other information with national security or economic security implications to China or a Chinese-owned company; and (2) will not involve knowing interactions with officials who have been determined by the United States to have direct involvement with violations of human rights. Section 535 - Directs the head of any department, agency, board, or commission funded by this Act to submit quarterly reports regarding the costs and contracting procedures relating to each conference held by it during FY2013 for which the cost to the government exceeded $20,000. Section 536 - Prohibits the use of funds to pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to deny, or fail to act on, an application for the importation of any model of shotgun if: (1) all other legal requirements with respect to the proposed importation are met; and (2) no application for the importation of such model of shotgun, in the same configuration, had been denied by the Attorney General prior to January 1, 2011, on the basis that the shotgun was not particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. Section 542 - Prohibits the use of funds by the Attorney General to originate or join in any lawsuit that seeks to overturn, enjoin, or invalidate specified immigration laws in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. Section 547 - Prohibits the use of funds: (1) to defend against any action challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or specified provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or (2) to litigate against any of the states on behalf of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) pertaining to secret ballot union elections. Section 549 - Prohibits the use of funds by DOJ: (1) to be a party to a single or multi-state court settlement where funds are removed from any residential mortgage-backed securitization trust, or (2) to bring any action against a state for implementation of a state law requiring voter identification. Section 551 - Prohibits the use of funds: (1) to conduct the American Community Survey, (2) to enforce provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 prohibiting federal agency procurement of an alternative or synthetic fuel for any mobility-related use, other than for research or testing, unless the contract specifies that the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with such fuel must be less than or equal to such emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel, or (3) to implement the National Ocean Policy developed under Executive Order 13547. Section 557 - Reduces amounts available under specified headings under this Act and increases the amounts available to DOJ for emergency federal law enforcement assistance and to the Department of Commerce for NIST industrial technology services. Section 561 - Prohibits the use of funds: (1) in contravention of the Defense of Marriage Act, or (2) to carry out the activities of the Climate Change education program or the functions of the Political Science Program in the Division of Social and Economic Sciences of the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences of NSF.

H.R. 5326: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013

112th Congress, 2011–2012
Making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes.
Sponsor:
Rep. Frank Wolf [R-VA10]
Status:
Passed House
Bill titles and the summary above are written by the sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

Bill Overview

Status:
Introduced May 02, 2012
Reported by Committee May 02, 2012
Passed House May 10, 2012
Passed Senate (not yet occurred)
Signed by the President (not yet occurred)
This bill passed in the House on May 10, 2012 and goes to the Senate next for consideration.
Votes:
House: On Passage of the Bill
May 10, 2012 2:51 p.m.
Passed 247/163

Prognosis:
Just 29% of all House of Representatives bills reported favorably by committee in 2009–2010 were enacted.
Cosponsors:
none
Committees:
House Committee on Appropriations
The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.
Primary Source
THOMAS (The Library of Congress)
THOMAS is updated generally one day after events occur and events since the last update may not be reflected here.
Citation
This page can be cited in one of these formats (click for details): APA, MLA, Wikipedia Template.
Subject Areas:
Use these subject areas to explore related legislation:


Official Summary

This summary was written by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress. GovTrack did not write and has no control over these summaries.
5/10/2012--Passed House amended. Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for FY2013 for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, for science-related programs, and related agencies.
Title I - Department of Commerce
Department of Commerce Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Commerce for FY2013 for:
(1) the International Trade Administration;
(2) the Bureau of Industry and Security;
(3) the Economic Development Administration;
(4) the Minority Business Development Agency;
(5) economic and statistical analysis programs;
(6) the Bureau of the Census;
(7) the National Telecommunications and Information Administration;
(8) the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO);
(9) the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST);
(10) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and
(11) departmental management, including for the Office of Inspector General.
Section 105 -
Adopts by reference provisions of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 that:
(1) set forth determinations that must be made by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere in order for NOAA to enter a contract for development of a major program (an activity approved to proceed to implementation that has an estimated life cycle cost of more than $250 million), and
(2) require the Under Secretary to annually submit a Major Program Annual Report that includes such required information for the satellite development program for which NOAA proposes to expend funds in the subsequent year.
Section 109 -
Directs the Department of Commerce to provide a monthly report to the Appropriations Committees on any official travel to China by any employee of the Department.
Title II - Department of Justice
Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) for FY2013 for:
(1) general administration, including for the Office of Inspector General;
(2) the United States Parole Commission;
(3) legal activities, including for reimbursement from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund for processing cases under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, the Offices of the United States Attorneys, the United States Trustee Program, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, the Community Relations Service, and the Assets Forfeiture Fund;
(4) the United States Marshals Service;
(5) the National Security Division;
(6) interagency crime and drug enforcement;
(7) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI);
(8) the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA);
(9) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF);
(10) the federal prison system, including for Federal Prison Industries, Incorporated;
(11) the Office on Violence Against Women for violence against women prevention and prosecution programs, including for establishment of a national clearinghouse to provide training and technical assistance on issues relating to sexual assault of American Indian and Alaska Native women;
(12) Office of Justice programs, including the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, a veterans treatment courts program, the Capital Litigation Improvement Grant Program, the National Criminal History Improvement Program, and a program to monitor prescription drugs and scheduled listed chemical products; and
(13) Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS program).
Section 202 -
Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) pay for an abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or in the case of rape; or (2) require any person to perform or facilitate an abortion.
Section 217 -
Prohibits the use of funds by a federal law enforcement officer to facilitate the transfer of an operable firearm to an individual known or suspected to be an agent of a drug cartel, unless U.S. law enforcement personnel continuously monitor or control the firearm at all times.
Section 219 -
Prohibits the use of funds to require a person licensed to engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms or importing or manufacturing ammunition to report information to DOJ regarding the sale of multiple rifles or shotguns to the same person.
Title III - Science
Makes appropriations for FY2013 for: (1) the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP); (2) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA; and (3) the National Science Foundation (NSF), including for the Office of the National Science Board.
Title IV - Related Agencies
Makes appropriations for FY2013 for: (1) the Commission on Civil Rights, (2) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), (3) the International Trade Commission, (4) the Legal Services Corporation, (5) the Marine Mammal Commission, (6) the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and (7) the State Justice Institute.
Title V - General Provisions
Section 501 -
Sets forth requirements, restrictions, and limitations on the use of funds appropriated by this Act.
Section 506 -
Makes any person who mislabels a product sold in or shipped to the United States as "Made in America" ineligible to receive any contract or subcontract funded by this Act.
Section 509 -
Prohibits the use of funds to promote the sale or export of tobacco or tobacco products or to seek the removal by any foreign country of restrictions on marketing of such products, except for restrictions which are not applied equally to all tobacco products of the same type.
Section 517 -
Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) support or justify the use of torture by any official or contract employee of the U.S. government, or (2) authorize or issue a national security letter in contravention of specified statutes authorizing the FBI to issue national security letters.
Section 526 -
Rescinds specified amounts of unobligated balances available to DOJ for specified accounts.
Section 529 -
Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) transfer or release to or within the United States Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who is not a U.S. citizen or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and who is or was held on or after June 24, 2009, at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by the Department of Defense (DOD); or (2) construct, acquire, or modify any facility in the United States, its territories, or possessions to detain or imprison such a detainee.
Section 531 -
Prohibits the distribution of funds to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or its subsidiaries.
Section 534 -
Prohibits the use of funds for NASA or OSTP to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a bilateral policy, program, order or contract to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally with China or any Chinese-owned company unless such activities are specifically authorized by a law enacted after this Act's enactment.
Specifies that such limitations shall not apply to activities which NASA or OSTP has certified:
(1) pose no risk of resulting in the transfer of technology, data, or other information with national security or economic security implications to China or a Chinese-owned company; and
(2) will not involve knowing interactions with officials who have been determined by the United States to have direct involvement with violations of human rights.
Section 535 -
Directs the head of any department, agency, board, or commission funded by this Act to submit quarterly reports regarding the costs and contracting procedures relating to each conference held by it during FY2013 for which the cost to the government exceeded $20,000.
Section 536 -
Prohibits the use of funds to pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to deny, or fail to act on, an application for the importation of any model of shotgun if:
(1) all other legal requirements with respect to the proposed importation are met; and
(2) no application for the importation of such model of shotgun, in the same configuration, had been denied by the Attorney General prior to January 1, 2011, on the basis that the shotgun was not particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.
Section 542 -
Prohibits the use of funds by the Attorney General to originate or join in any lawsuit that seeks to overturn, enjoin, or invalidate specified immigration laws in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.
Section 547 -
Prohibits the use of funds: (1) to defend against any action challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or specified provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or (2) to litigate against any of the states on behalf of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) pertaining to secret ballot union elections.
Section 549 -
Prohibits the use of funds by DOJ: (1) to be a party to a single or multi-state court settlement where funds are removed from any residential mortgage-backed securitization trust, or (2) to bring any action against a state for implementation of a state law requiring voter identification.
Section 551 -
Prohibits the use of funds:
(1) to conduct the American Community Survey,
(2) to enforce provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 prohibiting federal agency procurement of an alternative or synthetic fuel for any mobility-related use, other than for research or testing, unless the contract specifies that the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with such fuel must be less than or equal to such emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel, or
(3) to implement the National Ocean Policy developed under Executive Order 13547.
Section 557 -
Reduces amounts available under specified headings under this Act and increases the amounts available to DOJ for emergency federal law enforcement assistance and to the Department of Commerce for NIST industrial technology services.
Section 561 -
Prohibits the use of funds: (1) in contravention of the Defense of Marriage Act, or (2) to carry out the activities of the Climate Change education program or the functions of the Political Science Program in the Division of Social and Economic Sciences of the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences of NSF.
112th Congress, 2011–2012
Making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes.
Sponsor:
Rep. Frank Wolf [R-VA10]
Status:
Passed House
Bill titles and the summary above are written by the sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

Bill Overview

Status:
Introduced May 02, 2012
Reported by Committee May 02, 2012
Passed House May 10, 2012
Passed Senate (not yet occurred)
Signed by the President (not yet occurred)
This bill passed in the House on May 10, 2012 and goes to the Senate next for consideration.
Votes:
House: On Passage of the Bill
May 10, 2012 2:51 p.m.
Passed 247/163

Prognosis:
Just 29% of all House of Representatives bills reported favorably by committee in 2009–2010 were enacted.
Cosponsors:
none
Committees:
House Committee on Appropriations
The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.
Primary Source
THOMAS (The Library of Congress)
THOMAS is updated generally one day after events occur and events since the last update may not be reflected here.
Citation
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Subject Areas:
Use these subject areas to explore related legislation:


Official Summary

This summary was written by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress. GovTrack did not write and has no control over these summaries.
5/10/2012--Passed House amended. Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for FY2013 for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, for science-related programs, and related agencies.
Title I - Department of Commerce
Department of Commerce Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Commerce for FY2013 for:
(1) the International Trade Administration;
(2) the Bureau of Industry and Security;
(3) the Economic Development Administration;
(4) the Minority Business Development Agency;
(5) economic and statistical analysis programs;
(6) the Bureau of the Census;
(7) the National Telecommunications and Information Administration;
(8) the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO);
(9) the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST);
(10) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and
(11) departmental management, including for the Office of Inspector General.
Section 105 -
Adopts by reference provisions of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 that:
(1) set forth determinations that must be made by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere in order for NOAA to enter a contract for development of a major program (an activity approved to proceed to implementation that has an estimated life cycle cost of more than $250 million), and
(2) require the Under Secretary to annually submit a Major Program Annual Report that includes such required information for the satellite development program for which NOAA proposes to expend funds in the subsequent year.
Section 109 -
Directs the Department of Commerce to provide a monthly report to the Appropriations Committees on any official travel to China by any employee of the Department.
Title II - Department of Justice
Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2013 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) for FY2013 for:
(1) general administration, including for the Office of Inspector General;
(2) the United States Parole Commission;
(3) legal activities, including for reimbursement from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund for processing cases under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, the Offices of the United States Attorneys, the United States Trustee Program, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, the Community Relations Service, and the Assets Forfeiture Fund;
(4) the United States Marshals Service;
(5) the National Security Division;
(6) interagency crime and drug enforcement;
(7) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI);
(8) the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA);
(9) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF);
(10) the federal prison system, including for Federal Prison Industries, Incorporated;
(11) the Office on Violence Against Women for violence against women prevention and prosecution programs, including for establishment of a national clearinghouse to provide training and technical assistance on issues relating to sexual assault of American Indian and Alaska Native women;
(12) Office of Justice programs, including the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, a veterans treatment courts program, the Capital Litigation Improvement Grant Program, the National Criminal History Improvement Program, and a program to monitor prescription drugs and scheduled listed chemical products; and
(13) Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS program).
Section 202 -
Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) pay for an abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or in the case of rape; or (2) require any person to perform or facilitate an abortion.
Section 217 -
Prohibits the use of funds by a federal law enforcement officer to facilitate the transfer of an operable firearm to an individual known or suspected to be an agent of a drug cartel, unless U.S. law enforcement personnel continuously monitor or control the firearm at all times.
Section 219 -
Prohibits the use of funds to require a person licensed to engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms or importing or manufacturing ammunition to report information to DOJ regarding the sale of multiple rifles or shotguns to the same person.
Title III - Science
Makes appropriations for FY2013 for: (1) the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP); (2) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA; and (3) the National Science Foundation (NSF), including for the Office of the National Science Board.
Title IV - Related Agencies
Makes appropriations for FY2013 for: (1) the Commission on Civil Rights, (2) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), (3) the International Trade Commission, (4) the Legal Services Corporation, (5) the Marine Mammal Commission, (6) the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and (7) the State Justice Institute.
Title V - General Provisions
Section 501 -
Sets forth requirements, restrictions, and limitations on the use of funds appropriated by this Act.
Section 506 -
Makes any person who mislabels a product sold in or shipped to the United States as "Made in America" ineligible to receive any contract or subcontract funded by this Act.
Section 509 -
Prohibits the use of funds to promote the sale or export of tobacco or tobacco products or to seek the removal by any foreign country of restrictions on marketing of such products, except for restrictions which are not applied equally to all tobacco products of the same type.
Section 517 -
Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) support or justify the use of torture by any official or contract employee of the U.S. government, or (2) authorize or issue a national security letter in contravention of specified statutes authorizing the FBI to issue national security letters.
Section 526 -
Rescinds specified amounts of unobligated balances available to DOJ for specified accounts.
Section 529 -
Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) transfer or release to or within the United States Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who is not a U.S. citizen or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and who is or was held on or after June 24, 2009, at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by the Department of Defense (DOD); or (2) construct, acquire, or modify any facility in the United States, its territories, or possessions to detain or imprison such a detainee.
Section 531 -
Prohibits the distribution of funds to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or its subsidiaries.
Section 534 -
Prohibits the use of funds for NASA or OSTP to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a bilateral policy, program, order or contract to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally with China or any Chinese-owned company unless such activities are specifically authorized by a law enacted after this Act's enactment.
Specifies that such limitations shall not apply to activities which NASA or OSTP has certified:
(1) pose no risk of resulting in the transfer of technology, data, or other information with national security or economic security implications to China or a Chinese-owned company; and
(2) will not involve knowing interactions with officials who have been determined by the United States to have direct involvement with violations of human rights.
Section 535 -
Directs the head of any department, agency, board, or commission funded by this Act to submit quarterly reports regarding the costs and contracting procedures relating to each conference held by it during FY2013 for which the cost to the government exceeded $20,000.
Section 536 -
Prohibits the use of funds to pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to deny, or fail to act on, an application for the importation of any model of shotgun if:
(1) all other legal requirements with respect to the proposed importation are met; and
(2) no application for the importation of such model of shotgun, in the same configuration, had been denied by the Attorney General prior to January 1, 2011, on the basis that the shotgun was not particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.
Section 542 -
Prohibits the use of funds by the Attorney General to originate or join in any lawsuit that seeks to overturn, enjoin, or invalidate specified immigration laws in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.
Section 547 -
Prohibits the use of funds: (1) to defend against any action challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or specified provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or (2) to litigate against any of the states on behalf of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) pertaining to secret ballot union elections.
Section 549 -
Prohibits the use of funds by DOJ: (1) to be a party to a single or multi-state court settlement where funds are removed from any residential mortgage-backed securitization trust, or (2) to bring any action against a state for implementation of a state law requiring voter identification.
Section 551 -
Prohibits the use of funds:
(1) to conduct the American Community Survey,
(2) to enforce provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 prohibiting federal agency procurement of an alternative or synthetic fuel for any mobility-related use, other than for research or testing, unless the contract specifies that the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with such fuel must be less than or equal to such emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel, or
(3) to implement the National Ocean Policy developed under Executive Order 13547.
Section 557 -
Reduces amounts available under specified headings under this Act and increases the amounts available to DOJ for emergency federal law enforcement assistance and to the Department of Commerce for NIST industrial technology services.
Section 561 -
Prohibits the use of funds: (1) in contravention of the Defense of Marriage Act, or (2) to carry out the activities of the Climate Change education program or the functions of the Political Science Program in the Division of Social and Economic Sciences of the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences of NSF.